RFK Jr.’s $67 million mystery

 

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January 14, 2025 I'm David Corn, Washington bureau chief at Mother Jones. Why did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. send $67 million to the Bahamas through a nonprofit group he founded and ran? A Mother Jones investigation published today has found that when Kennedy, the anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist tapped by Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services, was in charge of Waterkeeper Alliance (WKA), an environmental organization dedicated to protecting waterways, he funneled tens of millions of dollars to a small environmental group he and hedge-fund billionaire Louis Bacon helped set up on the island nation. These funds originated with charities tied to Bacon—and WKA retained a percentage of them. Staff and associates of WKA were puzzled by this arrangement and did not understand how the tiny outfit in Bahamas could use all this money. They wondered about an odd connection: While this funding was underway, the Bahamian group and its lawyer were part of a multi-million-dollar fight against a Canadian fashion mogul with whom Bacon was feuding. After a WKA board member in 2020 tried and failed to get an explanation from Kennedy about this financial arrangement, he resigned. Kennedy refused to explain this curious transfer of tens of millions of dollars to Mother Jones. At the end, the mystery surrounding this money flow is reminiscent of dealmaking often seen within the Trump crowd, which will soon regain access to the White House. I hope you'll read the full investigation. —David Corn

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At RFK Jr.-Led Environmental Group, Insiders Questioned How He Spent $67 Million Kennedy sent millions to the Bahamas. Did it help a billionaire pal? BY DAVID CORN, RUSS CHOMA, AND DAN FRIEDMAN

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